Leave a Scar
by Angelas
Summary: Chain-smoking, anti-social Gaara goes on a 3-month trip with his siblings. He then meets a boy who begins to have a very serious effect on his apathetic demeanor. ..And his penis. GaaNaru
1. City Of Trees

**I'm excited about this one. :D I loveee Gaa/Naru more than I let off.**

**Please, do enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer.**_

**oOo**

Gaara stood before his closet, staring at the array of clothing with his arms crossed in their usual manner.

It was Summer, and Temari insisted she wanted to go on vacation with her two brothers before she flew off to college again. Gaara would have reluctantly agreed to an_ extent,_ if it wasn't for her choosing the worst possible destination his mind could possibly come up with. Even the North Pole would've been a better bet.. but_ California_? This simply couldn't be happening.

"I hope you're almost done packing, Gaara!" Temari shouted from the other room, "We have to be at the airport in 3 hours!"

"I thought it was in 5! ?" Kankuro shouted from downstairs.

The noise was annoying, and Gaara furrowed his brows from the obnoxious yelling taking place around him. Couldn't they ever just communicate like _normal_ human beings?

"No, you idiot!" Temari hollered, "I told you a million times that the flight was at 8!"

Gaara continued to stare at the clothes hanging in his closet, constricting his arms even tighter against him. This was all terribly unnecessary. Why did he have to go? He was never any fun, anyway. He figured his sister would know that by now. Besides, he loathed the sun, and the summer. California was nothing_ but_ sun and summer. His blank expression stayed in place, aqua marine eyes still captivated by the unmoving clothes hanging in his closet.

"Gaara!" Temari busted into his room, seemingly enraged at the sight of Gaara just standing there, "I told you to start packing! We have to leave soon!"

She stood by the door, looking for any sign of life in the completely frozen figure that stood in the room. She said something about not telling him again and proceeded to shout at Kankuro from downstairs. More yelling.

Sick of the same view, Gaara started tugging at random clothes from off the hangers, throwing them inside the bag that would later become his burden at the airport. When it was finally packed to the brim, he made his way towards his bed and sat with his arms crossed, staring intently at the far corner of the room. He didn't want to go to California. He didn't want to go _anywhere_. He wanted to stay in the safety of his room, away from the bothersome reaches of the outside world.

"Kankuro! You idiot! Call the taxi!" Temari seemed to never get tired of yelling, "We've gotta be there in an hour!"

"What's the number! ?" Gaara closed his eyes, knowing there was more shouting awaiting in his near future. His poor ears could hardly bear it anymore.

"456-572-3221!" his sister shrieked, nearly piercing Gaara's inflicted eardrums.

"Got it!"

Not being able to avoid his fate, Gaara decided to get up and drag his luggage down the stairs before Temari could even think of busting into his room again. He stood by the door for the hour that remained, arms crossed, and brows furrowed in annoyance. As always, he was the last to get ready, and the first to finish. He heard the klaxon of the taxi outside, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be able to return to the comfort of his room for the next 3 months. He held back a sigh and replaced it with a frown, the thought of it bothered him greatly. It was difficult enough sharing a house with his siblings, let alone a single room.

As if on signal, Temari came rushing down the stairs, a backpack and 2 bags of luggage balanced in her arms. Gaara was surprised she hadn't fallen to her death considering the way her view was completely blocked.

"Kankuro! Come on!" somehow Gaara knew she would ask him to help her, so saving his ears the pain, he volunteered to relieve her of one of the bags.

Kankuro came stumbling from his room, carrying an unnecessary amount of marionettes under one of his arms, while all the while balancing 3 smaller bags on the other.

Yes, they were crazy. There was no doubt about it. Gaara was convinced.

Temari lead the way to the taxi, packing the poor trunk until it overflowed with bags. Gaara watched his siblings freak out about the time, money, and other annoying things from a distance with his arms in their usual state. He couldn't understand how Temari managed to convince him to join in on this stupid 'vacation'. When Kankuro seemed as though he was done bashing on the car trunk, Gaara stepped inside the car, taking his seat on the back right corner. The other two anxiously took their seat, and directed the driver towards the airport.

The 15 minute ride there was nothing compared to the hell Gaara knew awaited him once they reached the airport. He bid goodbye to the fading image of his house and looked out the window, wishing the earth beneath the car would just swallow him whole.

The airport was, indeed, hell.

They waited for more than 3 hours on those hard, miserable 'chairs' in a room full of crying babies and obnoxious college students. Gaara tried his best to ignore his reality, blasting the headphones in his ears to full power. His eyes were open, but only to the naked eye. He found this all terribly,_ terribly_ unnecessary. Couldn't they just stay at home and go about their own lives without the burdensome interference of society?

"He'll go deaf one of these days", Kankuro murmured, not even bothering to whisper since there was no way Gaara could hear him from the turbulent blaring of his music.

Temari sighed, checking the time on her cellphone in the process, "It was hard enough getting him to come. If its tearing his eardrums apart that would keep him here, then so be it."

A final hour passed and their flight was announced on the speakers. Gaara paused his music and painfully went through the process of being groped and checked for any firearms and illegal drugs. Several people stared at him as his molestation continued, and he noticed the way a group of college girls pointed and giggled at him.

"He's _sooo_ cute!" one of them whispered to the other.

"I know_ right_? He probably already has a girlfriend, though.."

Gaara looked away, completely annoyed, and went about the process of putting his shoes back on when the security guy was finally through breaching his bodily privacy.

Years later, it seemed, he was finally in his seat inside the plane. It was stifled, and it smelled like old couches and _people_. He took the far seat by the window and buckled himself in, crossing his arms again in irritation. He concentrated on the seat in front of him, waiting for the nightmare to end at any moment. Temari sat in the middle, knowing fully well that Kankuro and Gaara sitting together would be an even greater nightmare.

"See? It isn't so bad!" Temari tried to console the red-head sitting angrily beside her, "It was all done in a flash!"

Gaara looked away as a response to Temari's optimism. She sighed, knowing Gaara wasn't having it.

"Shit, this sucks balls", Kankuro sighed, taking out the magazine inside the seat in front of him, "This whole 'California' thing better be worth it."

Temari shot him a death glare, and just as quickly, Kankuro took back his comment, "I mean.. Of_ course_ it'll be worth it!" The nervousness in his chuckle was apparent, but Temari was satisfied with the correction, nonetheless.

Not long after, the plane began to move. Gaara hated how the plane moved. He hated the smell, feel, sound, and_ thought_ of the plane. He slouched in his seat, uncrossing his arms only to plug in his earphones, blasting his music to a deafening volume.

The 8 hour flight went by strenuously slow. Gaara could already imagine the horribleness of the sunny, overpopulated state engulfing his defenseless being. He stared out the window, watching as every mile that took him further from his room went by. He thought of his ps3. What were he to do without his ps3? The thought irritated him further, and he began to glare fiercely at the window as if it were threatening him with death and torture. Which in a way, it was.

It must have been an eternity that passed when Gaara's iPod finally died. He begrudgingly took out his earphones and cursed the piece of technology for not being up to par with his expectations. He looked around him and noticed Kankuro snoring at an impossible volume, drooling all over Temari's shoulder. He frowned. Couldn't he sleep like a_ normal_ person?

"Would you like a pillow, sir?" Gaara looked to his right and noticed a lady smiling at him. Obviously, she thought he was appealing by the way her cheeks had reddened.

He shook his head to the side once and looked away, killing her hopes in less than a fraction of a second. He didn't understand why girls looked at him like that. Why did their faces turn red? And why did they think he was approachable in any way? He didn't like people. Why couldn't society understand?

Finally, he heard the pilot of the plane announce that they had reached their destination, sealing Gaara's fate once and for all. He was to spend 3 grueling, agonizing months in that terrible,_ terrible_ place. He could hardly bear the horror, and gave a deep scowl at the seat in front of him. Damn the world for torturing him this way.

As if on cue to Gaara's suffering, Kankuro awoke from his obnoxious slumber, yawning loudly and shaking Temari awake, "We're finally here!"

Gaara turned his scowl to the window and was eternally scarred by the formidable view. The sun was bright and blinding. He could already feel his skin melting from his bones without even feeling the heat of the outside.

**_'Welcome to Sacramento, City Of Trees'_**

Gaara cringed, his life expectancy no doubt reduced by 50 years.

**oOo**

The hotel room couldn't possibly be any smaller.

The two beds, it seemed, hardly fit in the small perimeter of the room; and the colors of the sheets were awful. A deadly, psychedellic yellow bleached Gaara's retinas. He wouldn't dare come near them. Instead, he stood by the door of the room, his arms crossed, and a deep, unchanging frown present on his face.

"This is great!" Temari exclaimed, in attempt to sooth the two unappeased boys in the room, "Totally worth the money we paid!"

Only a fool wouldn't be able to recognize the rising anger in her voice.

"Jeeze, there's only two beds, I thought we got the one with three.." Kankuro let out, dropping the bags he had been carrying on the carpeted floor.

Damn Americans and their unnecessary carpets.

"You're the one who booked the room, idiot", the only girl in the room snapped, giving the brunette a blaming glare, "you're gonna be the one sleeping on the floor."

Kankuro grunted, looking away towards the red-head by the door. He had totally forgotten that Gaara was in the room.

"What do you think Gaara?" Kankuro asked, trying his best to maintain the unappreciated smile on his face.

Gaara lowered his gaze, furrowing his brows in response. Kankuro was satisfied with the angry, wordless reply and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, eager to move on through the day, "Man, I'm hungry. I wonder what they sell around here.."

Temari popped open her laptop, researching any nearby restaurants that sold consumable food. She was starving, as well, but refused to show any signs of it. She had this weird thing about her about not wanting to show much interest in food. Ever since she was much younger, she worried persistently about her weight.

"Uh.. McDonalds, KFC, Taco.. Bell? Weird.." she scrolled down, a confused expression on her face, "Burger King..? What the fuck? Jack In The Box, Denny's, Pollo Loco.."

Kankuro sighed heavily. All those foreign, silly names were too much for him and he decided to go with the one with the least degrading name of the lot, "Let's just go to Denny's."

Temari closed her laptop in agreement and called up a taxi. Gaara stood still on his spot by the door, glaring at the terrifying sheets as if they had threatened him with death. There was no way in fuck he was going to this 'Denny's'.

"Are you coming, Gaara?" Temari asked as she hung up the phone, "I'm sure you must be hungry, you haven't eaten anything since we left home.."

Gaara refused to look away from the dangerous beds, but shook his head in rejection.

"Are you sure?" she tried again, truly concerned for Gaara's health.

This time Gaara didn't show a bodily response and simply crossed his arms. The taxi came not long after, forcing Gaara away from his comfortable spot by the door.

"We'll be back soon", Temari reassured him as Kankuro rushed out the front door, "Text us or call if you need anything or change your mind."

Gaara looked at her for a brief second as a response and the door was then closed, leaving the red-head standing awkwardly in the middle of the foreign box. He made his way to the opposite side of the room and plugged his iPod to the wall, hoping it would charge quickly so he could hurry up and escape his dreadful reality. He stared at the carpet for a moment before walking towards the bathroom. A large mirror greeted him, and he stared at himself for the longest time before deciding his eyeliner needed a touch-up.

Nearly 4 hours passed as Gaara sat in the same chair, blaring his headphones. He stared intently at the clock, watching as time ticked away from 6:30 PM to 10:22 PM. Kankuro and Temari sure took their sweet time eating. Finally, he heard a wriggling at the door and he knew they were back.

"Shit, this place is actually pretty cool!" Kankuro shouted, disrupting Gaara's peace as he chomped on some weird-looking object of food that resembled a rounded cylinder, "Want some?" he offered, stabbing the distasteful piece of food at Gaara's face, "It's a dog-corn!" He took a bite, not noticing Gaara looking at him as if he had grown a 3rd head.

"Corn-dog, idiot", Temari corrected, locking the flimsy door behind her, "Gaara, you should really go outside and get some fresh air", she suggested as she popped a few pieces of candy in her mouth, "the sun's gone, and there's not many people outside anymore. I hate to see you just sitting there."

Gaara considered her offer when he looked outside the window of the small room. It was dark, and the streets were lighted beautifully by the moonlight. He turned towards her, waiting for her to convince him further.

"I know you're probably dying for a smoke", she continued, taking a seat on those hellish, yellow sheets, "or a drink. Have some fun, Gaara. Here." She handed him a strange bill with a fat guy as the symbol.

100 Dollars, Gaara read. He figured that was enough money to buy him a pack of cigarettes to get him through the night. Temari smiled when Gaara finally stood from his seat, putting on a black hoodie, and pocketing the money away in his black skinny-jeans.

He then stepped outside into the danger of the foreign city, making his way down the flight of stairs. The night was beautiful, he could admit.

His search began for the closest convenience store.

Gaara encountered a few people along the way. Most slowed in their steps to take a good look at him before hastily walking away just as quickly.

He had that effect on humanity, and he deemed it best that way.

After a good half hour of wandering around downtown, he spotted a store with a promising name 'QuikStop'. It better be a quick stop. All he wanted was a pack of those addictive babies and a lighter. He crossed the street without looking both ways and made his way in very reluctantly. Who knew what weird creatures were inhabiting that suspicious store..

A beep flooded the empty store as Gaara walked in, causing him to frown in reflex. He looked around as he walked further in, looking for any signs that might lead to cigarettes.

"Welcome!" he heard from the nearby counter he hadn't noticed located on his right, "How can I help you?"

He turned towards the voice, and was greeted with a very strange looking boy. He had yellow hair, resembling the sun that Gaara so dreadfully resented, and impossibly blue eyes. Whatever frown that was present on Gaara's face immediately dropped, and he quickly looked away. He'd never met someone with such yellow hair before, or someone with blue eyes. He contemplated deeply on what to do next before crossing his arms, cautiously approaching the counter with his gaze to the side. He didn't want to look at that boy anymore. He made him feel weird..

"So, what can I get you?" the boy tried again, giving a broad, cheerful smile.

Gaara took a quick glance at the smiling boy and immediately looked away just as quick. This situation was proving quite difficult..

The blonde boy gave out a cheerful chuckle from behind the counter, leaning in towards the seemingly terrified red-head from the opposite side, "New around here, I'm guessing?"

"Smokes", Gaara blurted out.

He cringed inwardly at the sound of his own voice. It was raspy and broken, he hadn't used it in so long, and he'd honestly forgotten how it even sounded.

The boy giggled, turning around to unlock a cabinet behind him, "Yessir!"

Gaara took the opportunity to study the bizarre creature in front of him, taking in how the yellow hair on the boy's head gave out a light of its own. He wondered how something could be so.. _yellow_ (the color he hated most).. yet so pleasing to his senses. That yellow didn't bother him at all. In fact, he found himself enjoying the sight of it. He quickly looked away when the mysterious blonde turned around, flashing a precious pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

"Sorry, but I have to see an ID", he said, a go-lucky tone in his voice, "It's just some lame policy."

Gaara took in the information and began to take his wallet out from his back pocket, showing the boy a very menacing looking photo ID.

"Oh! You're 19th birthday's coming up!" the blonde clamored, "Gaara, right?"

Gaara glanced up at him, meeting his oddly colored eyes with that of the boy's. He noticed that he could hardly sustain eye contact with this particular person. Something really weird.. Gaara was known for his excellence in staring people down 'till they squirmed beneath his gaze. He looked down to the counter, pocketing the pack of cigarettes after taking one out and placing it eagerly between his lips.

"Well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" the boy shouted with a boastful pride, "It's really nice meeting you, Gaara."

Naruto took out his hand, offering it to the perplexed red-head from the opposite side of the counter.

Gaara hated physical contact with anyone, but something deep inside him itched and pleaded for him to shake the awaiting hand that was positioned so dangerously close to him.

For the first time in years, he felt warm skin against his own.

**oOo**

**Oh, sweet, silent Gaara. I have great plans for this story. I have the whole thing mapped out and plotted in my head. Believe me when I tell you that there will be many surprises. (: Review for me? It greatly encourages me to go forth with the updates. xx**


	2. IHOP

**Wee~ Finished this one just now, so I figured I'd submit it a few days early. (: **

**Thanks to those who have read. It makes me happy.**

**oOo**

Just before the handshake could even truly connect, Gaara pulled his arm away as if the boy before him was the plague, itself.

It felt so _weird_ feeling skin against him.

The texture of it was soft, and incredibly unnerving. Gaara could still feel the foreign warmth lingering on his palm, causing him to subconsciously scowl at the shelves behind the blond.

Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head as a way to ease the sudden awkwardness between them, "I guess people don't usually shake hands where you come from.." he chuckled, watching as the goth-looking redhead glared intently at the shelves behind him, "Where do you come from, Gaara?"

It took him a second to decide whether to answer or not.

After all, Gaara had no particular reason to trust this boy with such_ intimate_ information..

"East."

His voice was still dry, and sour in his throat. He crossed his arms in reflex. It was difficult to maintain his gaze away from this particular person, and he was beginning to get stressed out just being so near him.

"Oh! I see.. It must be pretty great out there! You know, with the weather and all.." Naruto tried his best to meet eyes, and spark some sort of conversation with the grumpy redhead, but the unchanging frown on the other boy's face was beginning to be a tad.. _discouraging_.. "Not that I know for sure, or anything! Haha, I've just heard.."

No response, comment, or sign of life.

"Well, uh.. would you like anything else?"

Curious blue eyes studied the odd-looking boy with a cigarette resting unlit between his lips. He noticed the way Gaara's arms had began constricting a little tighter around him, causing a blond eyebrow to raise.

What was up with this guy?

Was he, like, constipated, or something?

"Lighter," came a brusque voice.

"Oh! Of course!" Naruto reached a tanned hand inside the container that usually _overflowed_ with lighters, but, this time, for some unknown reason, the box was empty, "Damn, we ran out.. Let me go get one from the back, I'll be right back!"

Pale green eyes watched intently behind an unchanging frown as the hyper blond made his way across the store. There was a smell in the air the boy had left behind, Gaara noted. A strong, obvious smell of cheap ramen and oranges. Without fully realizing it, he took in the scent, allowing the frown on his face to subside ever so slightly.

Naruto was about 3 inches shorter than him. With eyes that were so unbelievably blue, it left Gaara wondering why he hadn't been blinded the moment he saw them.

He thought of the yellow, psychedelic sheets of the hotel room, and then he thought of Naruto's hair. He was trying his absolute best to surface some kind of anger or grudge against this disconcerting stranger; some kind of animosity he could stem off on in order to rid of the strange feeling building slowly in his stomach.. Anything.

Anything at all that could stop him from feeling so.. **weird**.

He tossed the cigarette between his lips back and forth in an effort to pass away the time it was taking the other boy to get back. Gaara was dying for a cigarette, and he knew he would have to start killing shit if he didn't smoke one soon.

Loud footsteps approached, and Gaara immediately regained the composure that he noticed had been slightly tarnished. He glared intently at the shelves again, arms crossed.

"Here you go!" Naruto nearly shouted. He seemed to have been out of breath. He was panting. Hard.

Panting. Gaara immediately thought of his first porn video.

He was curious that night, what could he say.

He was slightly stoned, and there was a persistent boner being painfully crushed beneath his pants. However, he'd sworn to himself he'd never think of that again. Or the boner. Or the insane amount of sticky stuff that emitted from his penis that night. Or how he did it a second time to an anal video. Never again, though. Gaara never got boners.

Boners were for the weak.

Unnerved that the thought came to life in his head out of nowhere, and that this particular person with the obnoxious, yellow hair had caused it, Gaara snatched the lighter from the boy's hand. He didn't waste another second on lighting the cancerous stick before he threw the 100 dollar bill on the counter.

Naruto looked down at the crisp bill.

Who ever paid in hundreds around here..?

He smiled, thinking maybe the seemingly distressed boy in front of him had accidentally given him the wrong one. He wasn't from around here, after all.

"Your total's only 5 dollars.." Naruto leaned in on the counter with a playful smile on his pinkish lips. Completely unaware of the perils that lied from being so near a perplexed Gaara, "Are you sure you don't have a 5 on you, by any chance?"

Taking a hard puff of his cigarette, Gaara narrowed his eyes to meet with the frightening blue ones that were seemingly melting the soul out of him.

The muscles in his throat tensed, and he knew he couldn't be there a second longer when the blonde began to inch closer. He could literally_ feel_ the humanly warmth of the other begin to radiate on him.

Terrified that he'd have another ridiculous, uncomfortable thought, Gaara quickly made his way out of the store; not at all bothering to take the 95 dollars in change.

He stepped into the darkened streets, puffing vigorously on his cigarette as he walked away at an unnecessary, hasty pace. But to him, it was absolutely necessary. Something was chasing him. Something that was birthed in that store.

He took out another cigarette, lighting it quickly. He then thought of the safety of his room. The comfort of his ps3. The patterns on his ceiling.

Gaara wanted to leave California. Now.

**oOo**

He sat on a bench underneath a random tree about 5 blocks away from the cursed store.

Gaara was down to his last 3 cigarettes in the matter of about an hour. The streets were caked with dull, chipping cement, and the half-eaten moon above him was the only thing truly lighting the area he was in. He'd have to call one of his annoying siblings to find his way back later tonight.

He breathed in the smoke from his half-gone cigarette, trying his best to maintain his relaxed state that had caused him some trouble to attain.

There was no way in hell he'd go back to that store for the remainder of time he'd be forced to be in that city. No way. Not with the sick, offensive fluttering in his stomach that threatened to tear him in half. Or the thoughts of his own boners. Nope. Wasn't gonna happen again.

He stared blankly ahead of him, watching random post lights as if they were to move at any given moment. Taking the last cigarette from the pack, he took a moment to stare at his hand.

What if he had contracted some sort of disease from that Naruto guy?

He knew from the beginning that it was an awful idea shaking hands with him. But what were he to do? Unknown forces caused him to do it. He didn't want to touch him. Nope. Not at all.

When he threw the butt of his final cigarette underneath the heel of his shoe, Gaara stood. He sent his sister a text, demanding directions from her. Then, as if on cue to his most undesired desires, he spotted a flash of yellow walk across the area not far from him.

He watched quietly from the shadows of the tree he'd been sitting under; a blank expression on his face as the boy from earlier whistled an annoying tune as he made his way across the empty plaza.

This time, he wasn't wearing that lanky uniform he had on back at the store, but a pair of blue, drainpipe jeans, and an insanely tight orange t-shirt that Gaara thought would split in two at any second. His figure seemed built and thin at the same time. Gaara crossed his arms, not knowing fully well why he was staring.

A horrible thought then snaked its way into his conscience.

Would it be_ terrible_ if he approached the whistling blonde?

He could ask for better directions, or maybe ask for the 95 dollars that he irresponsibly left behind back at the store..

Without thinking in his right mind, Gaara took a step forward. A leaf crunched loudly underneath one of his shoes, and as if the leaf were some sort of cursebreaker, Gaara was immediately snapped out of it.

Fuck no. There was no way in the deepest fuck that he'd_ ever_ approach anyone.

He hated humanity and all things social. Yes. He hated everything.

But even more so, he realized he hated the fact that Naruto was no longer anywhere in sight. He looked to his right, and then his left.

He was gone, and so was the whistling.

Gaara desperately reached in his pocket for another cigarette, but to his dismay, the box was now empty.

Just as his heart was, he assured himself.

**oOo**

"Goddamnit, Kankuro, how could you forget the fucking money!" Temari shouted from the front seat of the taxi, certainly deafening the driver in one ear.

"I told you! I thought Gaara brought it with him!"

"You idiot!"

Something about her shoving her tallest heel up Kankuro's ass was later mentioned, and something about Gaara being an ass for not backing him up was thrown about between the irritating screaming.

Gaara simply glared out the taxi window, dreading the 5th day of his highly undesired 'vacation'. He'd spent the last few days confined in that dreadful hotel room blasting his earphones away in a failed attempt at forgetting the awkward incident at the convenience store.

He had also gone through at least 20 packs of cigarettes.

Now he was here. In that annoying car, with his annoying siblings, going to some annoying restaurant that Temari annoyingly assured he would somehow 'enjoy'.

Gaara crossed his arms in annoyance

They had to pay the taxi driver an extra 20 bucks for the trouble of driving all the way back. They had reached some restaurant titled 'IHOP', and the smell of pancakes immediately skinned Gaara's nostrils.

What in the living shit caused Temari to think he would ever eat something sweet?

The three nonidentical siblings made their way in, Gaara begrudgingly folding his arms at the sight of some girl turning red as he walked by her.

Jeez. These people were worse than the ones back home.

There was a massive amount of people inside the place, and it made Gaara's skin crawl at the thought of everyone breathing the same air as him simultaneously. People stared and gawked his way. It was pretty obvious that he and his siblings were foreigners, and these people made sure they wouldn't forget it.

They were finally shown to an empty table. The chairs were yellow.

It was disgusting.

"Well.." Temari began, looking around nervously as some people insisted on staring at the odd trio shamelessly, "this doesn't seem so bad.. Does it, Gaara?"

She gave an anxious chuckle, and underneath the table, she kicked Kankuro's shin. He'd be a dead one if he dared disagree.

"Ow! What was that for?" Temari shot the brunette a death glare, "I mean.. Yeah! I mean, no! It's not bad at all!"

He gave a tense laugh, rubbing his poor shin from underneath the table. Gaara was not amused. Or convinced. He wanted out, and he wanted to choke the entrails out of everyone in that room.

"So, what can I get you guys today?" a girl with platinum hair tied up in a high ponytail asked out of nowhere.

Gaara didn't understand why everyone in that stupid city had to have blonde fucking hair. Stupid California. Stupid yellow. He glared mercilessly at the girl, causing her to fidget underneath his unwelcoming gaze.

Temari gave the menu a quick scan, desperate to ease the stressful situation "I'll have a stack of blueberry pancakes," she quickly said, trying her best to snap Gaara out of his little antic, "No syrup please!" she chuckled, kicking Kankuro underneath the table for not doing anything to help, "Eggs on the side, cup of tea."

"O-okay," the girl jotted something on a piece of paper, which had proved incredibly difficult with pale, green eyes piercing holes into her, "Anything else I can get you guys..?

"I'll have the same," Kankuro nearly wheezed, furiously rubbing on the violated spot on his leg. Temari's high heel stabbing at his shin had been anything but pleasant the last 5 minutes, "With syrup."

The waitress scribbled something down, and then reluctantly looked towards the redhead that sat with his arms heavily crossed against him. A highly disturbed frown marked heavily on Gaara's face the girl hadn't known possible.

"W-what about you, sir?" the girl asked, trying her best to keep up with her welcoming facade.

Gaara simply looked away, slouching in his seat as he watched some people smoke from outside the window next to him. A glint longing grazed in his eyes.

"He'll have the same, too," Temari interrupted, giving one of her best smiles at the frightened waitress, "Just the eggs, though. Our Gaara doesn't really like pancakes."

The waitress gave a quick nod before seemingly sprinting away.

Something about Gaara chilling in his 'attitude' was said, and then something about Kankuro being an idiot. Gaara stared blankly at the table, wanting nothing more but to escape.

He looked to the side, noticing as a large amount of people had already left. The nerve some people had. But he was inwardly glad that he had that effect on humanity. It was better to be alone. .._Wasn't it?_

If you had no one, no one could hurt you.

Looking around for a distraction from reality, Gaara caught sight of a small group of teenagers making their way in. He watched quietly, his heavily-outlined eyes narrowing to make out what the loud, colorful bunch of people consisted of.

He spotted a plaster of pink hair, and black on the other. The shorter of the three came within sight from the wall covering his view, and he immediately noticed the familiar shade of yellow resting on its head.

It was that boy from 5 days ago.

Gaara quickly turned away, trying his best not to catch the attention of his bickering siblings.

He listened intently as the group of teens began to take the seat behind them. He hoped with all his being that Naruto wouldn't notice the obvious blood tint of his hair, and recognize him. Gaara glared down at the table, the same fluttering in his stomach from before making its presence known in his empty stomach.

"Oh, jeez, Naruto!" a female began, "Couldn't we had gone to a better place? I doubt they sell ramen here, anyway.."

"Of course they sell ramen here! If they don't, we can just tell Ino to make us some," a dreadfully familiar voice shouted, "If Sasuke asked her to, she'd make them in a heartbeat!"

"Dobe," a much deeper one began. Something about that voice made Gaara want to go over and punch the source in its face, "you're dumber than I thought."

"Oh, come on, guys.." the female of the three soothed, "we'll think of something. Ino!"

Gaara sat stiff in his seat.

Something from deep within his being snaked its way into his chest.

And he knew (and was absolutely certain) that it was **not** jealousy.

**oOo**

**Hehe. :D Something large approaches. And it's not Gaara's magnificent penis.. o.0 I think.. Anyway, review for me. I'm not sure whether people are enjoying this story as much as I am.. ):**


End file.
